You can play a planeswalker only at the time you could play a sorcery. A planeswalker is a permanent, so when a planeswalker spell resolves, it comes into play under your control. Any spell or ability that affects a permanent (for example, "destroy target permanent") can affect a planeswalker. Note that planeswalkers aren't creatures; if a card says it affects a creature, it won't affect a planeswalker.
PLANESWALKER SUBTYPES
Each planeswalker has a subtype. For example, Garruk Wildspeaker says "Planeswalker -- Garruk" on its type line. These subtypes are also called planeswalker types. These are not creature types; they're an independent list.
* If two or more planeswalkers that share a subtype are in play, they're all put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based effect.
PLANESWALKER LOYALTY
Loyalty is a characteristic only planeswalkers have. Each planeswalker has a loyalty number printed in the lower right corner of the card. This isn't a power or toughness -- it's a new value.
A planeswalker comes into play with a number of loyalty counters on it equal to its loyalty number. While a planeswalker is in play, its loyalty is equal to the number of loyalty counters on it, and its printed loyalty number is ignored.
Damage dealt to a planeswalker results in that many loyalty counters being removed from it; see "Dealing Damage to Planeswalkers" below.
Playing an ability of a planeswalker causes it to gain or lose loyalty; see "Planeswalker Abilities" below. As a planeswalker loses loyalty, that many loyalty counters are removed from it. As a planeswalker gains loyalty, that many additional counters are put onto it.
If a planeswalker's loyalty is 0, it's put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based effect.
While a planeswalker card isn't in play, its loyalty is equal to the number printed in its lower right corner.
PLANESWALKER ABILITIES
Each planeswalker in the Lorwyn set has three activated abilities. These abilities have specific restrictions that aren't spelled out on the card, and their costs use a new symbol.
An ability of a planeswalker may be played only by that planeswalker's controller, and only any time he or she could play a sorcery. A player may play a planeswalker's ability the turn it enters play. A player may not play a planeswalker's ability if any of its abilities have been played already that turn. In other words, you're limited to one ability from each of your planeswalkers during your turn.
The cost to play a planeswalker's ability is represented by an arrow with a number inside. Up-arrows contain positive numbers, such as "+3"; this means "Put three loyalty counters on this planeswalker." Down-arrows contain negative numbers, such as "-1"; this means "Remove one loyalty counter from this planeswalker." You can't play a planeswalker's ability with a negative loyalty cost unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it.
PLANESWALKERS IN COMBAT
Planeswalkers aren't creatures, so they can't attack or block. However, planeswalkers can be attacked.
As the declare attackers step begins, if the defending player controls a planeswalker, the active player declares who or what each attacking creature is attacking: the defending player or one of that player's planeswalkers. All the attacking creatures may attack the same thing, or they may attack different things. If the defending player controls multiple planeswalkers, any or all of them can be attacked during the same combat phase.
As the declare blockers step begins, the defending player declares which creatures he or she controls (if any) are blocking the attacking creatures. The blocking creatures don't care who or what the attackers are attacking.
During the combat damage step, damage from unblocked creatures attacking the defending player, damage from blocked creatures, and damage from blocking creatures is assigned and dealt as normal. Unblocked creatures that are attacking a planeswalker assign and deal their combat damage to that planeswalker, which causes that many loyalty counters to be removed from it. Planeswalkers, like players, don't deal combat damage.
If a creature with trample is attacking a planeswalker and is blocked, the attacker must assign lethal damage to each blocker, and may assign excess damage to the planeswalker. However, a creature with trample that's attacking a planeswalker can't "trample over" that planeswalker and assign combat damage to the defending player.
If a planeswalker leaves play or changes controllers, it's removed from combat and stops being attacked. However, a creature that was attacking that planeswalker isn't removed from combat -- it continues to attack. It may be blocked. If it isn't blocked, it remains an attacking creature but assigns no damage during the combat damage step. If it is blocked, it will deal damage to any creature blocking it as normal. If the attacker has trample, the trample ability has no effect because there's nothing for the creature to assign excess damage to.
In the Two-Headed Giant multiplayer variant, a creature can attack the defending team or attack a planeswalker controlled by either member of that team. A creature attacking a planeswalker can be blocked by creatures controlled by either member of the defending team, not just creatures controlled by the planeswalker's controller.
DEALING DAMAGE TO PLANESWALKERS
If a source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent, you may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker that opponent controls instead. This is a redirection effect: you choose whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied, and it's subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects. The player affected by the damage chooses the order in which to apply such effects, but the controller of the source of the damage chooses whether the damage is redirected. Note that this redirection can't be applied to combat damage.
For example, although you can't target a planeswalker with Shock, you can target your opponent with Shock, and then as Shock resolves, choose to have Shock deal its 2 damage to one of your opponent's planeswalkers. If you do, two loyalty counters are removed from that planeswalker.
You can't choose to split the damage between a player and a planeswalker. In the Shock example above, you couldn't have Shock deal 1 damage to the player and 1 damage to the planeswalker.
If a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead.
In a Two-Headed Giant game, damage that would be dealt to a player can't be redirected to a planeswalker his or her teammate controls.
Pretty much what we reverse-engineered, but it's nice to get confirmation.
A summary of the stuff we weren't already clear about, for those not wanting to read the whole thing:
- any spell or ability that affects a permanent can affect a planeswalker (can be tapped, returned to hand, destroyed, etc)
- if a card only affects a creature, it won't affect a planeswalker (Condemn and Damnation do nothing to them)
- if two or more planeswalkers that share a subtype are in play, they're all put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based effect (so they're effectively legendary without saying so)
- you're limited to one ability from each of your planeswalkers during your turn and only any time you could play a sorcery
- you can't play a planeswalker's ability with a negative loyalty cost unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it
- as the declare attackers step begins, the active player declares who or what each attacking creature is attacking: the defending player or any of that player's planeswalkers
- blocking creatures don't care who or what the attackers are attacking
- unblocked creatures that are attacking a planeswalker assign and deal their combat damage to that planeswalker
- a creature with trample that's attacking a planeswalker can't "trample over" that planeswalker and assign combat damage to the defending player (duh)
- if a planeswalker leaves play or changes controllers, it stops being attacked, but a creature that was attacking it isn't removed from combat: if it isn't blocked it remains an attacking creature but assigns no combat damage
- if a source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent, you may have that source deal all of that damage to a planeswalker that opponent controls instead (damage can't be split up between the player and their planeswalker/planeswalkers)
- if a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead (you can't cast Hurricane and have your planeswalker take the damage instead of you)
Rules clarifications:
You can use damage prevention to stop damage to you that might be redirected to your planeswalkers. Just apply the damage prevention before the option to redirect, so you (and your planeswalkers) are safe.
Smart players playing Garruk against red decks won't lose him due to Incinerate. Play Garruk. When he comes into play, you get priority again. Activate his +1 ability (untapping two lands). The +1 loyalty happens as a cost for the ability, so even if the opponent tries to Incinerate you and redirect it to Garruk as an instant, it's too late. He'll lose 3 loyalty and still be alive.
True Believer "protects" your planeswalker by giving you shroud, so targeted burn can't hit you. Stifle does counter planeswalkers' activated abilities. Pithing Needle messes with planeswalkers nicely. Saltblast is better now. Molten Disaster can not only injure your opponent's planeswalkers, it clears away blockers so you can attack to finish them off. Perilous Research lets you throw away your used-up friend to draw 2 cards. Clockspinning can put loyalty on your planeswalkers or remove loyalty from your opponent's planeswalkers. Doubling Season doubles the number of loyalty planeswalkers come into play with, but doesn't affect loyalty counters added or removed to pay for their abilities.
I'm beginning to like these, and the rules cleared it up for me. Glad they (the activated abilities) are one a turn, at Sorcery speed. The abilities can't be countered (unless by Stifle, etc), which is nice. Also, they can be Faith's Fetters which is very fun. Thumbs up from me all around.
These rules are terrible, needlessly complicated and unintuitive. In particular:
Quote from Mark Gottlieb »
For example, although you can't target a planeswalker with Shock, you can target your opponent with Shock, and then as Shock resolves, choose to have Shock deal its 2 damage to one of your opponent's planeswalkers. If you do, two loyalty counters are removed from that planeswalker.
You can't choose to split the damage between a player and a planeswalker. In the Shock example above, you couldn't have Shock deal 1 damage to the player and 1 damage to the planeswalker.
If a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead.
Ew, ew, ew. This is needlessly complicated. I'd accept redirecting damage (though even that seems rather complicated and it'd be better, IMO, if they didn't allow this at all, or implemented it in a more intuitive way), but why complicate it unnecessarily by forbidding partial damage redirection and by forbidding redirection of damage of an effect you yourself control?
What happens if a single source (e.g. Cone of Flame) deals multiple packets of damage? Can a packet be redirected? I assume so, but being able to redirect some packets, but not individual points of damage within packets, is really needlessly complicated.
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A summary of the stuff we weren't already clear about, for those not wanting to read the whole thing:
- any spell or ability that affects a permanent can affect a planeswalker (can be tapped, returned to hand, destroyed, etc)
- if a card only affects a creature, it won't affect a planeswalker (Condemn and Damnation do nothing to them)
- if two or more planeswalkers that share a subtype are in play, they're all put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based effect (so they're effectively legendary without saying so)
- you're limited to one ability from each of your planeswalkers during your turn and only any time you could play a sorcery
- you can't play a planeswalker's ability with a negative loyalty cost unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it
- as the declare attackers step begins, the active player declares who or what each attacking creature is attacking: the defending player or any of that player's planeswalkers
- blocking creatures don't care who or what the attackers are attacking
- unblocked creatures that are attacking a planeswalker assign and deal their combat damage to that planeswalker
- a creature with trample that's attacking a planeswalker can't "trample over" that planeswalker and assign combat damage to the defending player (duh)
- if a planeswalker leaves play or changes controllers, it stops being attacked, but a creature that was attacking it isn't removed from combat: if it isn't blocked it remains an attacking creature but assigns no combat damage
- if a source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent, you may have that source deal all of that damage to a planeswalker that opponent controls instead (damage can't be split up between the player and their planeswalker/planeswalkers)
- if a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead (you can't cast Hurricane and have your planeswalker take the damage instead of you)
Rules clarifications:
You can use damage prevention to stop damage to you that might be redirected to your planeswalkers. Just apply the damage prevention before the option to redirect, so you (and your planeswalkers) are safe.
Smart players playing Garruk against red decks won't lose him due to Incinerate. Play Garruk. When he comes into play, you get priority again. Activate his +1 ability (untapping two lands). The +1 loyalty happens as a cost for the ability, so even if the opponent tries to Incinerate you and redirect it to Garruk as an instant, it's too late. He'll lose 3 loyalty and still be alive.
True Believer "protects" your planeswalker by giving you shroud, so targeted burn can't hit you. Stifle does counter planeswalkers' activated abilities. Pithing Needle messes with planeswalkers nicely. Saltblast is better now. Molten Disaster can not only injure your opponent's planeswalkers, it clears away blockers so you can attack to finish them off
@FirstType: Such as what, for multiple packets of damage..?
They chose not to allow burn to go directly to them because that technically would require errata'ing every spell and ability in existance that did damage to players. Even then, in cases like Inferno, it can get a little weird.
Additionally, I'm really starting to wonder how abuseable these are going to be with Clockspinning...
Yeah, the inferno's controller may have it deals damage to you OR to your planeswalkers. So, it's not like another player in the game, which is counter-intuitive and will cause lots of doubts and I'll have a hard time making my friends believe me...
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Ew, ew, ew. This is needlessly complicated. I'd be fine with redirecting direct, but why complicate it unnecessarily by forbidding partial damage redirection and by forbidding redirection of damage of an effect you yourself control?
Not being able to divide up the damage makes it more complicated? How is "all to you, or all to the 'walker" more complicated than dividing it up? I mean, with a teammate, if you play Inferno, you can't say "Hey, buddy, teammate, seeing as you have more life than I do, how about I take 3 and you take 9, huh?"
its going to make things interesting if you have a planeswalker out it kind of acts like a shield against burn spells (in that your opponent might want to take off a couple loyalty points so they dont have to deal with a 3/3 beast or have to discard another card etc etc) and if you are playing against your opponent and hes building towards the big loyalty ability (like the -8 one on liliana) do you burn your opponent or set him back two or three loyalty points?
it will make things interesting if nothing else. and I'm really interested to see what the other 3 planeswalkers do.
I'm calling it: Planeswalkers suck for Constructed.
My Incinerate/Lash Out/PsiBlast > Your planeswalker.
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Nice to know that we were pretty much spot on with how the PWs work.
Also, did Wizards website not update right because MaRo's article is the one from the 27th? Ooops! A great day for wizards.com, indeed.
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I am probably the only person in the world that collects Tarnished Citadels. Not because I like the card, but because I don't want someone to get his hands on one and then attemp to actually play the damned thing.
I like them; they are flavourfoul, easy to undestand; although I have the feeling that in the pre relase the judges will be very busy; re explaining to everyone how to use properly Planeswalkers.
Agreed that the direct damage rules are quite unintuitive. I can't target the PW, but on res I now CAN? Okay...so that's one way around errata to scores of direct damage spells (not having to add, "or target PW" to them all...), but realistically, you're just targeting the PW (by not allowing damage split.) As to Cone...I'd think you could assign different targets to each packet, as the card states you can, but you cannot further divide those packets (you can't throw 1 damage from the 2 damage packet to the head and 1 to the PW). Basically, all it did was give them an out from errating (? is that a word? lol) DD spells. My next question...as it is a "redirect" effect, would be "what about damage PREVENTION spells?". Does me casting Healing Salve (targeting me) in response to your Incinerate (which is, as of the time of casting, ALSO targeting me) negate the damage to the PW? Can I then "redirect" the Salve to the PW to prevent the Incinerate damage from being dealt? Edit 2: And even if I DO/CAN redirect my Salve, as it resolves first, my opponent now has the option of simply tossing the Incinerate at my head as it resolves. Holy Extra Options, Batman!! As if direct damage wasn't good enough already...lol.
Oy!!
Cheers,
Austin
Edit: Also a little surprised as to the use of counters to represent Loyalty in a field with Clockspinning. God save us all if the Blue PW is even remotely playable. lol Heck..I'm waiting for the U/B control deck featuring Damnations, Clockspinnings, and Liliana as we speak. At least (assumption here..but BOP IS now legal..oy) U/G will be harder to play w/o Ravnica.
Wow, they are pretty awful after all. The saving grace of Garruk was the hope that you could use it's first ability in response to an bolt of some sort in order to add an emergency toughness. Not so much. And basically they are the easiest to destroy permenent type in the game, and they have abilities that require you to keep them alive for several turns to be any good. Yeah, I don't see these being played outside of casual.
My gut instinct is that they really needed to have abilities playable as instants (and on the other guy's turn) to make these things even considerable in serious play. 5 mana to make someone discard a card or two before they kill your guy isn't too impressive. 4 mana and you might get a two mana rebate , or a 3/3 before your guy gets killed isn't too impressive.
I was waaaaaay more excited before I knew the exact rules (especially when I thought there was a chance each planeswalker could use one ability once *each* player's turn).
These rules are terrible, needlessly complicated and unintuitive. In particular:
Ew, ew, ew. This is needlessly complicated. I'd accept redirecting damage, but why complicate it unnecessarily by forbidding partial damage redirection and by forbidding redirection of damage of an effect you yourself control?
What happens if a single source (e.g. Cone of Flame) deals multiple packets of damage? Can a packet be redirected? I assume so, but being able to redirect some packets, but not individual points of damage within packets, is really needlessly complicated.
Well.. let's look at cone of flame...
cone of flame deals 1 damage to target creature or player, (ok I target you...) 2 damage to another target creature or player, (ok I target a goblin) 3 damage to anotherv target creature or player (ok I target a beast).
When damage is resolved, you choose for it to go to the planeswalker instead. You can only target a player once, then choose where the damage goes (player or planeswalker).
Another example is Hurricane. You'd think that a 7 damage hurricane would hurt Liliana and your opponent. Nope. You choose which takes the fall. In fact, you could cast Garruk and then have him take all the damage from your own hurricane! Theres a deck idea. Garruk accelerates mana for a giant hurricane, then takes all the damage.
Nice to know that we were pretty much spot on with how the PWs work.
Also, did Wizards website not update right because MaRo's article is the one from the 27th? Ooops! A great day for wizards.com, indeed.
Today is Labor Day my good man. Wizards is taking a well deserved day off.
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In the case of Garruk, you can't kill it with Incinerate unless you gain priority somehow. If he comes into play, he'll be at Loyalty 4 pretty darn quickly I can assure you.* The counter will get put on before the ability resolves, then everyone else gets priority (burn baby burn), then he'll likely go down to 1 Loyalty.. but still be there. So at the utter least I'll be gaining +1CA because you had to likely use two burn spells (not counting Psionic Blast or an ability that pings).
* - Assuming suspension such as through Jhoira or Delay didn't occur.
@NetherTraitor: You have to counter it. Basically the rules are saying: "If a spell you control would deal damage to a player, you may have it damage one of that player's Planeswalkers instead." So you choose to go to the Planeswalker on resolution, not before. If they're going to Incinerate your face, I suggest countering it if Jace (presumably) is on your section of the table.
So everyone is saying that 'walkers gonna suck now... I don't get it. Basically, because they works exactly how most people have said they do, they suck?
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that they are pretty balanced cards and some (if not all) will be constructed worthy. While the direct damage thing kinda sucks and planeswalkers won't be staying on the board for very long, at their very worst, they do some ability for you and then eat either your opponent's attack or a burn or bounce card in their hand. They just aren't gamebreaking or broken. Oh poo
Planeswalker's aren't that easy to kill. They're pretty much only significantly vulnerable to burn and permanent destruction, so in type 2 that's only red and Psi Blast. They could be pretty good against non-red decks. The Green one is great against most of type 2's current blue-based decks if it makes it to play. And Liliana's out of easy burn range.
Yeah, this definitely helps gauge how to deal with him (for a while there, Psionic Blast was looking better and better against Garruk).
The rules definitely helped- I'll need that info come the Prerelease.
I can't wait to see the rest- it's nice to see some range in them already, and complimenting their colors so well.
Also- would I know the target of Shock before I countered it? Or would I have to counter it before he chose me or the planeswalker?
You'd have to counter it before you know... Which is why I'll have a hard time convincing my friends =/
Incinerate on stack
Ok
Will you counter?
I don't know, will you target me or my planeswalker?
Dude, it doesn't work like this...
Ooooh, so you'll wait 'til see if I have a counter to choose your target, smart ass?!
And so on...
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Pretty much what we reverse-engineered, but it's nice to get confirmation.
EDIT:
Past Ruminations
Links are broken, will fix in near future.
- Kaladesh
- Zendikar
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Alara Reborn
- Innistrad <- Personal Favorite
- Dark Ascension
- Avacyn Restored
- Theros
- Return to Ravnica
- Tarkir
I'm beginning to like these, and the rules cleared it up for me. Glad they (the activated abilities) are one a turn, at Sorcery speed. The abilities can't be countered (unless by Stifle, etc), which is nice. Also, they can be Faith's Fetters which is very fun. Thumbs up from me all around.
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So Quicken will allow you to play a PW and then use an ability at opponent's EOT.
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Ew, ew, ew. This is needlessly complicated. I'd accept redirecting damage (though even that seems rather complicated and it'd be better, IMO, if they didn't allow this at all, or implemented it in a more intuitive way), but why complicate it unnecessarily by forbidding partial damage redirection and by forbidding redirection of damage of an effect you yourself control?
What happens if a single source (e.g. Cone of Flame) deals multiple packets of damage? Can a packet be redirected? I assume so, but being able to redirect some packets, but not individual points of damage within packets, is really needlessly complicated.
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- any spell or ability that affects a permanent can affect a planeswalker (can be tapped, returned to hand, destroyed, etc)
- if a card only affects a creature, it won't affect a planeswalker (Condemn and Damnation do nothing to them)
- if two or more planeswalkers that share a subtype are in play, they're all put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based effect (so they're effectively legendary without saying so)
- you're limited to one ability from each of your planeswalkers during your turn and only any time you could play a sorcery
- you can't play a planeswalker's ability with a negative loyalty cost unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it
- as the declare attackers step begins, the active player declares who or what each attacking creature is attacking: the defending player or any of that player's planeswalkers
- blocking creatures don't care who or what the attackers are attacking
- unblocked creatures that are attacking a planeswalker assign and deal their combat damage to that planeswalker
- a creature with trample that's attacking a planeswalker can't "trample over" that planeswalker and assign combat damage to the defending player (duh)
- if a planeswalker leaves play or changes controllers, it stops being attacked, but a creature that was attacking it isn't removed from combat: if it isn't blocked it remains an attacking creature but assigns no combat damage
- if a source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent, you may have that source deal all of that damage to a planeswalker that opponent controls instead (damage can't be split up between the player and their planeswalker/planeswalkers)
- if a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead (you can't cast Hurricane and have your planeswalker take the damage instead of you)
Rules clarifications:
You can use damage prevention to stop damage to you that might be redirected to your planeswalkers. Just apply the damage prevention before the option to redirect, so you (and your planeswalkers) are safe.
Smart players playing Garruk against red decks won't lose him due to Incinerate. Play Garruk. When he comes into play, you get priority again. Activate his +1 ability (untapping two lands). The +1 loyalty happens as a cost for the ability, so even if the opponent tries to Incinerate you and redirect it to Garruk as an instant, it's too late. He'll lose 3 loyalty and still be alive.
True Believer "protects" your planeswalker by giving you shroud, so targeted burn can't hit you.
Stifle does counter planeswalkers' activated abilities.
Pithing Needle messes with planeswalkers nicely.
Saltblast is better now.
Molten Disaster can not only injure your opponent's planeswalkers, it clears away blockers so you can attack to finish them off
.
They chose not to allow burn to go directly to them because that technically would require errata'ing every spell and ability in existance that did damage to players. Even then, in cases like Inferno, it can get a little weird.
Additionally, I'm really starting to wonder how abuseable these are going to be with Clockspinning...
Past Ruminations
Links are broken, will fix in near future.
- Kaladesh
- Zendikar
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Alara Reborn
- Innistrad <- Personal Favorite
- Dark Ascension
- Avacyn Restored
- Theros
- Return to Ravnica
- Tarkir
Incinerate kills a Garruk tasty!
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its going to make things interesting if you have a planeswalker out it kind of acts like a shield against burn spells (in that your opponent might want to take off a couple loyalty points so they dont have to deal with a 3/3 beast or have to discard another card etc etc) and if you are playing against your opponent and hes building towards the big loyalty ability (like the -8 one on liliana) do you burn your opponent or set him back two or three loyalty points?
it will make things interesting if nothing else. and I'm really interested to see what the other 3 planeswalkers do.
My Incinerate/Lash Out/PsiBlast > Your planeswalker.
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Also, did Wizards website not update right because MaRo's article is the one from the 27th? Ooops! A great day for wizards.com, indeed.
I want my Liliana.
MTGO: the_counter_master
Oy!!
Cheers,
Austin
Edit: Also a little surprised as to the use of counters to represent Loyalty in a field with Clockspinning. God save us all if the Blue PW is even remotely playable. lol Heck..I'm waiting for the U/B control deck featuring Damnations, Clockspinnings, and Liliana as we speak. At least (assumption here..but BOP IS now legal..oy) U/G will be harder to play w/o Ravnica.
and the rules are kinda confusing
My gut instinct is that they really needed to have abilities playable as instants (and on the other guy's turn) to make these things even considerable in serious play. 5 mana to make someone discard a card or two before they kill your guy isn't too impressive. 4 mana and you might get a two mana rebate , or a 3/3 before your guy gets killed isn't too impressive.
I was waaaaaay more excited before I knew the exact rules (especially when I thought there was a chance each planeswalker could use one ability once *each* player's turn).
Well.. let's look at cone of flame...
cone of flame deals 1 damage to target creature or player, (ok I target you...) 2 damage to another target creature or player, (ok I target a goblin) 3 damage to anotherv target creature or player (ok I target a beast).
When damage is resolved, you choose for it to go to the planeswalker instead. You can only target a player once, then choose where the damage goes (player or planeswalker).
Another example is Hurricane. You'd think that a 7 damage hurricane would hurt Liliana and your opponent. Nope. You choose which takes the fall. In fact, you could cast Garruk and then have him take all the damage from your own hurricane! Theres a deck idea. Garruk accelerates mana for a giant hurricane, then takes all the damage.
t: Destroy target breakfast.
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Yeah, this definitely helps gauge how to deal with him (for a while there, Psionic Blast was looking better and better against Garruk).
The rules definitely helped- I'll need that info come the Prerelease.
I can't wait to see the rest- it's nice to see some range in them already, and complimenting their colors so well.
Also- would I know the target of Shock before I countered it? Or would I have to counter it before he chose me or the planeswalker?
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In the case of Garruk, you can't kill it with Incinerate unless you gain priority somehow. If he comes into play, he'll be at Loyalty 4 pretty darn quickly I can assure you.* The counter will get put on before the ability resolves, then everyone else gets priority (burn baby burn), then he'll likely go down to 1 Loyalty.. but still be there. So at the utter least I'll be gaining +1CA because you had to likely use two burn spells (not counting Psionic Blast or an ability that pings).
* - Assuming suspension such as through Jhoira or Delay didn't occur.
@NetherTraitor: You have to counter it. Basically the rules are saying: "If a spell you control would deal damage to a player, you may have it damage one of that player's Planeswalkers instead." So you choose to go to the Planeswalker on resolution, not before. If they're going to Incinerate your face, I suggest countering it if Jace (presumably) is on your section of the table.
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Links are broken, will fix in near future.
- Kaladesh
- Zendikar
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Alara Reborn
- Innistrad <- Personal Favorite
- Dark Ascension
- Avacyn Restored
- Theros
- Return to Ravnica
- Tarkir
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that they are pretty balanced cards and some (if not all) will be constructed worthy. While the direct damage thing kinda sucks and planeswalkers won't be staying on the board for very long, at their very worst, they do some ability for you and then eat either your opponent's attack or a burn or bounce card in their hand. They just aren't gamebreaking or broken. Oh poo
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My Decks
EDH:
GVerdeloth the AncientG
Standard:
GWU Mana Denial UWG
3CB and 4CB5CB!You'd have to counter it before you know... Which is why I'll have a hard time convincing my friends =/
Incinerate on stack
Ok
Will you counter?
I don't know, will you target me or my planeswalker?
Dude, it doesn't work like this...
Ooooh, so you'll wait 'til see if I have a counter to choose your target, smart ass?!
And so on...
UBB Rogues
UUB Faeries
RW Seismic Swans
RRR Control